Porridge and Rice

By participating in the Tilnar Cycle Challenge and choosing to support Porridge and Rice you are enabling them to help some of the poorest children in the world break the cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Porridge and Rice partners with schools in the slums of Nairobi to enable them to provide children with a sound education. Porridge and Rice works to remove barriers preventing schools from being effective and provides the resources schools need to be successful. Studies by organisations like the WHO have shown that the most effective way of combatting poverty and deprivation is through education.

A hungry child cannot learn, a sick child cannot attend school, an unqualified teacher cannot teach effectively, and it is not possible for children to read in the dark.

56p feeds a child for a day.

£6 pays a child’s school fees for a month.

£25 buys a desk that seats 3 children

£75 is the cost to install electricity in 8 classrooms.

£200 pays for a term at university for a trainee teacher.

Many children in the slums arrive at school each day having only had black tea for breakfast and with no prospect of lunch. Porridge and Rice provides each pupil with breakfast, lunch and fruit each school day. Children in the slums frequently do not receive enough Vitamin A, Iron, and Iodine which can lead to problems from blindness to cognitive impairment. Porridge and Rice meals are nutritionally balanced to ensure that each child receive the micronutrients necessary for healthy development.

According to the WHO, 1 in 5 children die of diarrhoea in the slums before reaching the age of 5. Porridge and Rice runs a health and hygiene program to combat illnesses like diarrhoea and worms that are easy to cure, and if left untreated can lead to malnutrition even death. The charity also provides water, soap and disinfectant, and has set up regular cleaning programs and health training.

Most teachers at schools in the slums have no more than a secondary school education.Many show great commitment and talent as teachers but simply cannot afford the fees to train as a teacher. Porridge and Rice identifies unqualified teachers with the potential to excel and sponsors them through university to get a Bachelor of Education.

School buildings are typical slum buildings made with corrugated sheets attached to wooden frames. They are usually in poor condition and overcrowded. Few have electricity with many children learning by candle light when it is dark, and furniture is in very poor condition sometimes beyond repair. Porridge and Rice improves and maintains school facilities and furniture to create a learning environment conducive to learning.

Conservative estimates place unemployment at 50% in the Nairobi slums. As a result, many children are not in school because parents simply cannot afford the school fees. Porridge and Rice sponsors children whose parents cannot afford school fees to ensure that they stay in school.

The money raised by the Tilnar Cycle Challenge will enable Porridge and Rice to continue to support the 2000 children at 5 schools that it currently supports. It will also enable the charity to expand its support to some of the 100 schools on its waiting list. Porridge and Rice is run entirely by volunteers who not only do not receive a salary but cover the cost of all their own expenses including when they travel to Kenya, so over 98% of all money it raises goes to people in need.

Join the challenge and have a wonderful day while doing something worthwhile for people in need.